Pile cleaning and treatment device



Nov. 22, 1960 E. M. DUNHAM 2,960,706

PILE CLEANING AND TREATMENT DEVICE Filed June 10, 1959 INVENTOR. 0174 MMAI/MAI ATTORNEY United States Patent ice 2,960,706 PILE CLEANING ANDTREATMENT DEVICE Edward M. Dunham', 404 Teakwood, Oxnard, can. Filed16.1.16, 1959, Ser. No. 819,515 6 Claims. c1. 15-4) (Granted under Title35, U;S."Code'(19 52), sec. 266) The inventiondescribed herein may bemanufactured and used by and for the Government of the United States ofAmerica for governmental purposes without the payment of any royaltiesthereon and therefor.

This invention relates to a' mechanism for cleaning and coatingmarinepiling and the like, and is particularly directed to the removalof marine encrustations from wooden piles and timbers and to theapplication of a protective toxic material to kill any remainingorganisms and to resist future attack.

Numerous waterfront structures utilize timber piling. Countless timberpiles throughout the world require replacement or repair annuallybecause of natural deterioration and/or physical damage. The primaryfactors contributing to pile weakening include alternate wetting anddrying due to tidal action, freezing and thawing, attacks by marineborers, and impacts from floating debris or vessels. All timber pilingis subjected to one or more of these deteriorating influences.

In many installations, the replacement of timber piling is eitherphysically or economically infeasible. An example of such a condition isa timber pile pier or Wharf having a reinforced concrete deck. In orderto replace piling in such a structure, the deck would have to be removedin whole orin part. Under certain conditions, removal of the deck mightwell be infeasible because of the necessityof maintaining its structuralintegrity for uninterrupted'use. Moreover, the cost of removingandijsubsequently-replacingthedeck would be very high, Anotherexample iswhere timber piling is supporting a waterfront building. In such case,the work space necessary for pile replacement is either denied orexpensive alterations-would be required.

The solution to the above problems is best met by providing one ofvarious formsof metal or concrete jacketing of the damaged timber pile.Prior to such jacketin'g procedures, however, it is obvious that thetimber pile must be scrupulously clean of various types ofencrustationsand prepared with some sort of toxic material for eradicating all formsof deleterious marine organisms.

A primary object of the present invention is to supply a cleaning, toxicand protective coating apparatus which may be conveniently used ontimber piles in situ without the necessity for removing the piling ordisturbing the decking or other load supported thereby. Another objectof my invention is to provide an apparatus which will accomplish thenecessary cleaning and coating steps in one operation, both above andbelow the water line.

A preferred form of the invention comprises a drum or hollow cylinderwhich surrounds the pile and is movable vertically thereon. Scraping andscrubbing devices actuated by a compressed air motor are provided withinthe drum to remove encrustations. When the apparatus is being used abovethe water line the coating process may follow the cleaning operationimmediately. When the apparatus is used below the water line the exhaustfrom the compressed air motor within the drum will clear the 2,960,706pate t d Nov. 22, 1960 2 drum of'water during the cleaning operation.With the compressed air motor still operating to continually expel waterfrom the interior of the drum, the coating solution may then be appliedfree of water dilution. I

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following description and accompanying drawings,wherein:

Fig. l is a view in elevationof a pile having mounted thereon a deviceembodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is anenlarged view invertical section of the device shown in Fig,1.

Fig; 3 is a horizontal sectionalview taken on the line 3-3o f Fig. 2".

The pile shown in Fig. 1 has its lower end embedded in the mudr'sea-bottom 12 in usual manner, and supports a load indicated by beam14 and stringers 16, above the water level 18. The cleaning and coatingdevice is shown "mounted on the pile, being supported by a bridle 22which permits the device 20 to be rotated relative to'the pile as wellas to be moved vertically thereof by means not shown.

The'device 20 comprises a metal drum having a cylindrical wall 'and abottom wall 32 formed with an aperture 34. The wall .32 is preferablyformed of a thick metal plate, as shown, ,to serve as bailast for thedrum. The upper wall of the device comprises a frusto-conical section 36formed with'an' aperture 38 large enough to accommodate the largestdiameter pile to be treated. The section 36 is infolded as shown toform. an annular supporting" flange 3 9. Overlapping section 36 is asplit frusto-conical gasket 40, of rubber or other flexible and elasticmaterial,.,dcsi'gned to engage the pile 10 in nearlywatertightrelati'on. I The wall 30 .is formed in two sections verticallyhinged together as indicated at 41, and secured in closed" position by alatch 42. The walls 38 and 32 are correspondingly split so that the drummay be caused to embrace the pilelfl.

Mounted rigidly'within the drum' is apipe 43 formed with a plurality ofnozzles 44 for spraying creosote or other toxic coatingmaterial upon thepile. The pipe 43 projects through thesec'tion 36, and is suppliedthrough a flexible conduit 45 from a source of coating material underpressure, not shown;

Fixed to the inner surface of wall 31) opposite to pipe 43 are upperand'lower horizontal. cylinders 46, 47, provided withpistonsandpiston.rods 50, 51. The pistons are supplied; with compressed,air from a source not shown, through afiexible conduit 52, a pressurereducing valve 54, andico'nduits 56 1 Compression-springs58, 59 in thecylindersur'ge; the. pistons toward. retracted position, in oppositionto 'theforce' of'compressed air which urges them toward the extendedposition indicated in broken lines in Fig. 3.

A vertical shaft 60 is pivotally connected to piston rods 51 so that itmay be moved inwardly and outwardly with relation to the vertical pilesurface. A pneumatic tamper or ramming hammer 62 of commercial design issecured to shaft 60 intermediate its ends. With shaft 60 secured inplace, the casing of the pneumatic hammer 62 will oscillate orreciprocate vertically when supplied with compressed air. The latter maybe furnished through a flexible conduit 64 from a source not shown.Pneumatic hammer 62 is provided with one or more exhaust ports 66 whichexhaust into the interior of the drum or hollow cylinder. As will bedescribed more fully hereinafter, this exhaust air is utilized to drivewater from the interior of the drum when the pile cleaning and coatingapparatus is used below the water line.

Fixed to cylinder 62 is a wire brush 68, of curved shape as shown,designed to engage the pile and scrub therefrom such detritus as may beloosely adhering thereto.

For loosening more firmly adherent objects, such as barnacles, or otherencrustations, a pair of scrapers 70, 71 are mounted on arms 72, 73fixed to the cylinder 62.

In the operation of the device, the drum .20" is first opened andinstalled around the pile, and'i'sthenclosed and latched. Compressed airis admittedto the cylinders 46, 47 to cause the scrapers 70, 71 andbrush 68 to engage the pile. The cylinder 62 is then energized to causethese elements to oscillate and thereby clean a portion of the surfaceof the pile, and the entire device is manually rotated through 360 untilan entire zone of such surface has been cleaned. If-said'zoneis abovethe water level 18, the chemical coating liquid is then introducedthrough nozzles 44 and sprayed upon the cleaned surface. 5

This process is repeated on successively lower zones of the pilesurface. In cleaning a zone below the Water level, the water in-the drumis gradually expelled by the air exhausting from the pneumatic hammer 62and from compressed air leaking from cylinders 46 and 47. The water isexpelled downwardly through aperture 34 carrying the detritus scrapedand brushed from the pile. Then, after the cleaning operation iscompleted, the water is continuously expelled by keeping the pneumatichammer in operation and the coating operation is accomplished.

While my invention has been described with but one scrubbing apparatusand spray coating apparatus shown, it is obvious that two or more ofeach such scrubbing and coating apparatus could be utilized.Furthermore, steam could be introduced through nozzles 44 during thecleaning operation for facilitating the removal of encrustations and thekilling of marine organisms. After the cleaning operation nozzles 44could then be used to spray the toxic coating or other desired materialon the cleaned portion or zone.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for cleaning and treating a timber pile in situ comprising,in combination: a

a hollow cylindrical drum having apertured end walls adapted to beplaced around said pile intermediate the ends of said pile;

vertically reciprocating motor means aflixed to the interior wall ofsaid drum;

brushing and scraping means operable to contact a portion of said pilesecured to said motor means;

means to expel water from the interior of said drum when said apparatusis used below the water line; and

means to spray a protective, toxic coating on the claned portion of saidpile enclosed within said drum.

2. Apparatus for cleaning and treating a timber pile as claimed in claim1 wherein said hollow cylindrical drum is vertically split into twosections, said sections being hingedly connected for opening and closingaround said pile at a zone intermediate the ends of said pile, latchingmeans opposite said hinges for locking said drum around said pile, andsealing means carried by the upper end wall of said drum for contactingsaid pile to establish an air and water tight connection therewith.

3. Apparatus for cleaning and treating a timber pile as claimed in claim1 wherein said brushing and scraping means includes means for yieldablyforcing said brushing and scraping means in contact With the portion ofsaid pile being cleaned.

4. Apparatus for cleaning and treating a timber pile as claimed in claim1 wherein said spray means consists of a plurality of downwardlydirected nozzles secured to the inner wall of said drum.

5. Apparatus for cleaning and treating a pile in situ, comprising:

a drum of larger diameter than the pile having upper and lower wallsapertured to slidably fit the pile in approximately water-tightrelation;

a vertically reciprocating compressed air motor mounted on the innerwall of said drum and carrying scraping and brushing tools yieldinglyheld against the pile for removing encrustations therefrom;

means for supplying compressed air to said motor to actuate the same andto be exhausted therefrom to displace water from the drum; and

means to apply a protective coating to the cleaned pile while the wateris so displaced.

6. Apparatus for cleaning and treating a pile in situ comprising, incombination:

a hollow structure adapted to be placed around said pile intermediatethe ends of said pile, said hollow structure having upper and lower endwalls apertured to slidably fit the pile in approximately water-tightrelation and vertical walls connecting and supporting said end walls;

vertically reciprocating compressed air motor means mounted on the innerwalls of said hollow structure and carrying scraping and brushing toolsyieldingly held against the pile and removing encrustations therefrom;

means for supplying compressed air to said motor means to actuate thesame and to be exhausted therefrom to displace water from the hollowstructure; and

means to apply a protective coating to the cleaned pile while the wateris so displaced.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,134,881 Lockwood Apr. 6, 1915 1,680,372 Fenn Aug. 14, 1928 2,831,451May Apr. 22, 1958

